• Meta honors Southern Africa’s small business owners and creators through its #Changemakers campaign.
• Here are inspiring stories of entrepreneurs and creators reinventing themselves on digital platforms.

For SMBs, COVID-19 has been more than a health crisis, as business owners face a real threat to the years of work put into growing their business. We launched our campaign to showcase the grit and innovative spirit of six #Changemakers from across Southern Africa. The campaign highlights how these creatives and business owners use Meta technologies to grow their businesses, serve their customers and communities all while facing trying times brought about by the global pandemic. 

Our recent study, conducted by Genesis Analytics, has indicated that 84% of African SMBs that use Meta technologies have reported them to be critical in the growth of their business. More so, 77% indicated that their business is stronger today because of our technologies. Over 13,000 businesses in South Africa that joined Instagram since the start of the pandemic – use their social media bio to encourage potential customers to reach them via a direct or WhatsApp message. Since the start of the pandemic, over 50,000 people in Zimbabwe, and 75,000 in Zambia, have joined community groups on social media that support local and small businesses. 

We’re proud to play a role in this transformation. We believe, as these #Changemakers have shown, that digital tools and solutions can empower SMBs to find new customers, create revenue streams, and reinvent their businesses for a time of flux and change.

Meet the #Changemakers

South Africa

Small business owner, Davy Tsopo, embarked on an incredible journey during lockdown. After losing his job at a restaurant in 2020 he started his own cake business called Cakey by Davy. By showcasing his baking talents on Instagram and Facebook, Davy was able to build a loyal following and a long list of clientele.

#Changemaker Davy Tsopo

The arts industry also took a knock due to the restrictions on gatherings, so innovators PJ Sabbagha and Namatshego Khutsoane of the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative (FATC) turned to WhatsApp to keep their progressive arts flag flying. They hosted an arts festival, My Body My Space, featuring more than 80 artists from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, the UK, and the US. 

#Changemakers PJ Sabbagha and Tshego Khutsoane

Zimbabwe

Maxwell Chimedza – a virtual tutor who uses Facebook and WhatsApp to educate students. When COVID-19 caused schools to close in Zimbabwe, it increased the demand for his WhatsApp classrooms. In 2021, Chimedza made headlines after his class of 64 WhatsApp students obtained 41 A-grade marks. 

#Changemaker Maxwell Chimedza

Another passionate Zimbabwean, Kerita Tawana Choga, launched the errand-running service, Tuma Kerri, in November 2020. Today, it serves hundreds of customers — mostly from the diaspora — who want to deliver goods to family and friends in Zimbabwe. Choga has gone on to employ five people to service clients.  

#Changemaker Kerita Tawana Choga

Zambia

Zambian content creator, and media personality, Lulu Wood, started a food blog with her husband, William, called the Wood Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram. Their audience exploded during lockdown, with more than 112,000 people following them on Instagram and 215,000 on Facebook. 

#Changemaker Lulu Wood

Fashion designer Kapasa Musonda is a local innovator and creative who celebrates women from all over the world with her vibrant fashion line Mangishi Doll. A multicultural brand that lives to inspire, she has dressed many influencers and celebrities, including Juicy J, Michelle Williams, Angela Bassett, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Vonneta Stewart. 

#Changemaker Kapasa Musonda

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